Car coupler operating means



0st. 31, 1933. J BAZELEY 1,932,719

CAR COUPLER OPERATING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 31., 1933.

A. J. BAZELEY GAR COUPLER OPERATING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 31, 1933. A. J. BAZELEY 1,932,719

CAR COUPLER OPERATING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1930 4 SheetsSheet 3 gnveutoz Oct. 31, 1933- A. J. BAZELEY CAR COUPLER OPERATING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l atented Get. 31, 1933 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE oAR COUPLER, OPERATING MEANS Arthur J. Bazeley, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to National Malleable & Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 21, 1930. Serial No. 476,799

Claims. (01. 213-169) ihis invention relates to car couplers and more extension of rod 2, thereby rotating said rod particularly to couplers of the bottom-operated in the brackets 3. During the initial portion of type. A prime object of the invention is the prothe rotation of the rod 2 the clearance normally vision of means whereby the coupler lock may be existing (Figs. 1 and 2) between said rod and operated with greater facility than heretofore and the plunger is taken up and said plunger is with less wear upon the operating parts. The inforced upwardly by said rod into firm engagevention also comprises other features which will ment with the upper narrow portion of the slot be hereinafter described and claimed. 17. As rotation of the rod 2 continues the plung- In the accompanying drawings: er 15 is moved upwardly and forwardly by said 10 Fig. 1 is a View in front elevation, and rod, thereby rotating the lock lift lever 11 and Figs. 2 and 3 are views in side elevation, of an raising the coupler lock. The plunger supportuncoupling mechanism embodying my invention; ing member 14 swings freely about its pivot the coupler knuckle being closed in Fig. 2 and and moves with the plunger 15 as a unit as said open in Fig. 3. plunger is actuated for operating the lock. 15 Fig. 4 is a plan view, while Through the pivotal mounting of member 14 I Figs. 5 and 6 are views of details. avoid the slippage between the plunger and said Referring to the drawings, the numeral 2 desmember which would result during operation ignates an uncoupling rod rotatably supported in of the plunger by red 2 if said member were rigid brackets 3, 3 on the car structure 4. A red 5 prowith the car frame. It will be noted that dur- 20 vided with a handle portion 6 is jcurnaled near ing the operation of the plunger 15 by the rod one end in a bracket '7 and is operatively con 2 said rod exerts an upward pressure against nected at its other end to said rod 2 through the said plunger, forcing the latter against the upper engagement of an eye 8 on hook shaped portion sides'of the hole in the member 14; and in the 9 of rod 5 with a portion of the rod 2 adjacent an prior constructions, wherein the plunger ex- 7 25 extension 10 thereof. If desired, another rod 5 tended through a hole in a member rigid with may be connected with the other end of rod 2, as the car frame, the dragging of the plunger over shown in Fig. 4, so that the coupler lock may be the upper side of the hole, against the force operated from either side of the car. A lever 11 maintaining the plunger in contact therewith, which may be of any suitable design for lifting the resulted in substantial waste of energy and in 30 lock of the coupler 12 is pivotally mounted on the difilcult' operation. With my arrangement 35 bottom of said coupler through trunnion 13. The wherein the member 14 is pivoted, and moves lever 11 may conveniently comprise a bearing with the plunger as a unit, slippage between portion fitti over the trunnion l3, and an said plunger and said member during operation arm 11 connected to a link 11 for actuating the of the plunger to actuate the lock is obviated.

35 lock in the'usual manner well understood in the Loss of power due to slippage between said e plunger and member while the plunger is acted In carrying out my invention I provide a pivupon by the rod 2 is thus avoidedand the actuaotally mounted member 14 which is adapted to tion or" the coupler lock is facilitated. In addireceive a plunger 15 for operating the'lever 11. tion, wear upon said plunger and member by 49 Member 14 is shown pivoted to a bracket 16 movement of the plunger for operating the lock which may be mounted on a coupler guide castis eliminated. A further advantage in the piving or on the under-frame of the car, and is prootal mounting of the member 14 resides in the vided with a slot 17 through which the plunger fact that the plunger is thereby permitted to 15 extends. Said plunger is connected to the swing upwardly about the pivotal axis of said 45 lock actuating lever 11 through the engagement member, thus permitting rod 2 to have a longer of hook portionl8 of said plunger with eye 19 stroke in operating the lock than if member 14 of said lever. When the parts are in the normal were fixed. Such increased stroke of itself perunoperated position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the mits the exertion of less force to accomplish the plunger 15 rests in the widened lower portion of work of operating the lock.

0 the slot 17 in member 14 (as shown in Fig. 5) The brackets 3 in which the rod 2 is journaled whereby said plunger may slide freely in said may be conveniently formed as shown in Fig. I slot in response to movements of the coupler with 6. As there shown, each of said brackets may respect to the car in draft and in buff. comprise a portion 20 having holes '21 for the When the handle 6 of the rod 5 is swung away reception of bolts or screws 22 (Figs. 2 and 3) 1 55 from the car, the-portion 9 of said rod engages for securing the bracket to theunderside of the car frame, and a socket or bearing portion 23 for receiving the rod 2. Lips 24 spaced from each other and extending beyond said bearing portion 23 are provided with openings 25 for the reception of a bolt 26 (Figs. 1, 2, and 3) for retaining the rod 2 in said bearing portion.

The bracket 16 for the member 14 may comprise a portion 27 having holes for the reception of bolts or screws 28 for securing said bracket to the underframe of the car, and a bearing portion 29 in which the upper portion 30 of member 14 is received. A bolt 31 extends through said bearing portion 29 and through said portion 30 of member 14, said bolt serving as a pivot for said member 14 whereby said member is pivotally retained in said bearing portion. a

A further feature of my invention comprises the provision of a flattened portion- 32- on the plunger 15 for engagement by the rod 2. In order to provide adequate clearance for avoiding interference by the coupler guide casting with movement of the plunger 15 for operating the lock lift lever 11 in various positions of the coupler, said plunger as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is bowed downwardly between the supporting member 14 and the lock lift lever 11. When pressure is applied to plunger 15 by rod 2, said plunger tends to rotate laterally of the coupler and to assume a position wherein it would be bowed upwardly. By providing the widened portion 32 aforesaid, lateral movement of the plunger is prevented. The underside of said widened portion is flat, and thus if the rod 2 tends to swing the plunger to one side a point contact is made between said rod and plunger and a lateral component of force is set up in the opposite direction whereby the plunger is restored to its proper position.

It will be noted that the member 14 in its normal position (Fig. 2) extends slightly forward from its pivot. Said member is held in this position by the engagement of a lug 35 on the member 14 with projections 33, 33 (Figs. 2, 3, and 5) on said bracket. It will be seen that if member 14 were normally inclined to the rear of the vertical center line of its pivot it would be necessary that said membermove downwardly to the bottom of its arc of travel before it could move upwardly in the same direction as uncoupling lever 11. The necessity for such downward movement is avoided by the means above described whereby said member is retained in forwardly inclined position.

The upper portion of member 14 is provided with ribs 34 (Figs. 2, 3, and 5), which, in co,- operation with the projections 33 on bracket 16, prevent the application of said member to said bracket in such position that said member becomes inoperative. Through said ribs 34 the application of member 14 to said bracket in proper position for cooperating with the plunger 15 is assured. It will be apparent from Figure 2 that if the member 14 were applied in a rearwardly rocked position the ribs 34 would compel it to be held at such a large angle to the vertical that the element 15 could not be passed through the opening 17 and at the same time be connected with the eye 19. Assembly of the parts with the member 14 in this improper position is thus efiectively prevented. For purposes of symmetry ribs 34 similar to ribs 34 and a lug 35 similar to lug 35 may be provided on the other side of member 14, as shown in Fig. 5.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. Coupler operating mechanism comprising a lock lift lever, an element connected to said lever for operating the latter, a pivoted member having a slot receiving said element, said slot having an upper narrowed, wedging portion and also having a lower widened portion in which said element is received when in normal unoperated position, and means comprising a manually operable rod for forcing said element into wedging engagement with the upper narrowed portion of said slot and for causing said element and said member to swing in unison to actuate said lever.

2. Coupler operating mechanism comprising a lock lift lever, an element connected to said lever for operating the latter, a pivotally mounted member for supporting said element, said member having a slot with an upper narrowed, wedging portion and a lower widened portion, said element, when in normal unoperated position extending through the lower widened portion of said slot, and means for forcingsaid element into wedging engagement with the upper narrowed portion of said slot as a preliminary to actuation of said lever for lifting the lock.

3. Coupler operating mechanism comprising a lock lift lever, an element connected to said lever for operating the latter, a manually operable rod for actuating said element, a pivotally mounted member for supporting said element and movable with said element during its actuation by said rod, and means for maintaining said member inclined forwardly from its pivot.

4. Coupler operating mechanism comprising a lock lift lever, an element connected to said lever for operating the latter, a manually operable rod for actuating said element, a member for supporting said element and movable with said element during its actuation by said rod, means pivotally supporting said member, and interengaging means between said first mentioned means and said member for preventing movement of said member rearwardly of its pivot.

5. Coupler operating mechanism comprising a lock lift lever, an element connected to said lever for operating the latter, a manually operable rod for actuating said element, a member for supporting said element and movable with said element during its actuation by said rod, means for pivotally supporting said member in a forwardly inclined position, and means preventing assembly of the parts with said member applied to said supporting means position.

in a rearwardly inclined ARTHUR J. BAZELEY. 

